Jason Fautz

Rich has been a wilderness traveler since the early 1970s. He started climbing in 1973 while living in Boulder, Colorado, and has since enjoyed climbing and canyoneering throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Rich has built a reputation as the most experienced professional canyoneering guide and instructor in the U.S.. His experience in team building began in the mid 1980’s with Leadership Reaction Courses in the military and he has since facilitated programs for numerous companies, including many from the Fortune 500.In the spring of 1999, he became the first American to be certified as a canyoning guide in Europe and subsequently founded the American Canyoneering Association, which evolved into the American Canyoneering Academy.

Now retired, Rich focuses all of his time and energy on teaching. His greatest passion is assisting with economic development and enhancing quality of life for individuals and communities around the world through the provision of training for canyoneers, professional canyon guides and rescue teams. He is especially interested in volunteering his time to serve underprivileged youth and unemployed adults in Native American communities and in developing countries.